Orson Welles, who was shooting his latest film “Mr. Arkadin” on the French Riviera, dropped into nearby Cannes on April 8, 1954 to attend the international film festival there. (AP photo)
By RAY KELLY
The Cannes Film Festival will salute Orson Welles with the showing of three restored films starring the late actor-director and two new documentaries.
Last fall, producers completing Welles’ unfinished 1970s comeback film, The Other Side of the Wind, had indicated they would debut the finished film at Cannes to mark the 100th anniversary of Welles birth.
Sadly, that is not happening. But there are five offerings during the May 13-24 film festival that should please – if not thrill – Welles aficionados. Here is a translation from the Cannes Classics 2015 announcement.
- Citizen Kane – A Warner Bros. presentation of an Orson Welles film. The 4k restoration of Citizen Kane was completed at Warner Brothers Motion Picture Imagery by colorist Janet Wilson, with supervision by Ned Price. Image was reconstructed from three nitrate fine grain master positive as the original camera negative number along survives. Optical soundtrack “RCA squeeze duplex format.”
- The Lady from Shanghai – A Park Circus presentation of an Orson Welles film. Restoration in 4K at Colorworks at Sony Pictures. The original nitrate negative was scanned in 4K at Deluxe in Hollywood before digital restoration, share of the work completed at MTI Film in Los Angeles. Sound restoration at Chase Has Audio Deluxe, color grading and DCP prepared by Colorworks.
- The Third Man – A StudioCanal presentation of a Carol Reed film. Intermediate print film 2nd generation of nitrate film (non-existent original negative), scanned in 4K and restored frame by frame in 4K by Deluxe in England. Restoration supervised by STUDIOCANAL.
Two new documentaries about Welles will debut at Cannes. They include appearances by Welles historian Joseph McBride and other Welles scholars.
- Orson Welles, Autopsy of a Legend by Elisabeth Kapnist. Produced by lights and beacons and Arte France. (56 minutes)
- This Is Orson Welles by Clara and Julia Kuperberg. Produced by TCM Wichita Cinema and Films. (53 minutes)
Cannes has honored two Welles-directed films in the past with major awards: Othello in 1952 and Chimes at Midnight in 1966. He took home the best actor prize in 1958 for his role in Compulsion.
A restoration of Othello overseen by his daughter Beatrice Welles was screened at Cannes in 1992.
________
Post your comments on the Wellesnet Message Board.